Staff writer Corey Mitchell covers English-language learners, bilingual education and civil rights issues for Education Week. Join him as he explores the educational, policy, and social issues surrounding ELLs in U.S. schools.

Florida Expands 'Opt-Out' Options for ELL Parents

By Jackie Zubrzycki on
September 30, 2011 12:23 PM

Some interesting news from Florida:

Last week, Florida's Board of Education voted that parents of English-language learners can opt for their child to stop receiving ELL services even if the student has not tested as proficient in English. The main concern is that this opt-out implies that the districts aren't required to provide services to ELLs. The AP quotes Lucas da Silva of the Florida Immigrant Youth Network: "It makes it seem the state isn't obliged to provide this education to students."

Representatives from the board say that most parents won't opt out—they haven't traditionally—and that those students who are placed in mainstream classrooms will be taught by teachers who are at least in the process of being trained in working with ELLs. The article says that students who exit the program will be tested for at least one year after withdrawing to make sure they're still making progress. What happens to those who aren't improving is unclear—will they be automatically re—enrolled?

In other Florida news: The Palm Beach Postwrites about the status of tuition benefits for the children of illegal immigrants in Florida, where a bill similar to the Texas Dream Act was voted down in the GOP-dominated state legislature just last year. Children of undocumented immigrants cannot get in-state tuition or apply for other state funds for tuition in Florida, partly because that's viewed as unfair to out-of-state residents who are U.S. citizens.

We just outlined the Republican candidates' stances on in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants, prompted by Texas Gov. Rick Perry's defense of that state's Dream Act. Perry took his stand at recent debates in Tampa and Orlando, spurring a flurry of reactions from the GOP and the press.

Categories:

Tags:

Notice: We recently upgraded our comments. (Learn more here.) If you are logged in as a subscriber or registered user and already have a Display Name on edweek.org, you can post comments. If you do not already have a Display Name, please create one here.

Ground Rules for Posting
We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.